The U.S. government is an enemy of the nations fighting ISIS, al Qaeda and the Taiban. These include Syria, Iran and Russia and, in the past, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. I’m not praising these nations’ governments. I’m just pointing out they are the enemies of the terrorists the U.S. government supposedly is making war on.

U.S. military intervention creates the kind of environment in which ISIS, al Qaeda and the Taliban flourish. When the structure of civil government and civil society are smashed, as happened in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, only criminal, religious or military groups can flourish, or criminal religious warlords such as ISIS, al Qaeda or the Taliban.

Ironically, many Iranians and Iraqis believe that Americans intentionally created ISIS. I’m sure there was no such intention. I just think that certain people in the U.S. government sought to use the war on terror as a screen to achieve other geopolitical objectives which they gave higher priority.

One of these objectives was to be the dominant military power in the Greater Middle East. Another was to control oil, gas and pipeline routes. A third was to back Israel, Saudi Arabia and other allies against their enemies and rivals.

They neither achieved these objectives (unless waging war is a goal in itself) nor effectively fought terrorism.

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If we Americans are serious about waging a war on terror, we should stop doing things that make the terrorists stronger.